00:08 Welcome to Six-Figure Trucker, the podcast where we share advice on how to be successful in trucking and have fun while doing so. We’ll share stories, news, and advice on how to earn six figures in trucking, and we’ll speak to guys and gals that are already doing so. Let’s get to the show.

00:29 Hello everyone and welcome to the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. We try to lift up and elevate the drivers, the men and women that make this American society go round and round. Now joining us tonight, we have a very special guest and that is Hal B. Faris. Hal joins us from his home. I think he’s relaxing after a long week on the road. Hal, how are you?

00:52 I’m doing great.

00:53 So So tell us what you’re doing right now. Well, I’m sitting in my house relaxing after working this week. Just relaxing. Kind of waiting for Monday morning to hit and hit it again.

01:05 Okay. You’re relaxing. Tell us about what the week was like. Just to kind of set the scene. We are past Thanksgiving now. We’re into December. So, kind of set the scene for us. What was this past week like for you?

01:19 Well, I came back off the holiday weekend of Thanksgiving. I don’t work during the holidays because trucks and holidays just don’t mix. If you can stay off the roads one, stay off the road with it. And I just stayed around the weekend and enjoyed my family and got back and got a load Monday morning and went to Camden City, Missouri.

01:39 Gotcha. You live down in San Antonio, is that right?

01:43 That is correct.

01:44 What’s the weather like down there here in the first week of December? Right now, it’s been cold up in the first few days of this week. What I call colds in the 50, 40s and 50s down here cuz we’re in the south. We’re in the south and today it’s about 70 with it cloudy.

02:02 That’s great in December to be 70°. Of course, you are in South Texas there and you were talking about what’s cold to you. So, what is cold to you being a gentleman who lives down there in South Texas? Gold dust in South Texas is anything I guess below 45 degree. It’s 40 degrees and that’s down there in South. Of course, further north you go, the colder it gets, you know. And I tell and people say, “What you got doing in San Antonio?” I said, “It’s great. Nine months out of the year, weather’s great. The other three months get really hot in the summer.”

02:37 I got you. Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it. I was actually out in Texas back in the summer. I was in flew into Dallas. Spent some time down in Austin. Was in Colleen. I believe it was 103 degrees and I was going out to see a buddy out there. His air conditioner was not working in his car. So, I’ve seen the Texas heat.

03:00 Okay. You know exactly what I’m talking about then in the summertime.

03:04 Yeah, it’s different. Our home base here for Norton Transport is just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are in Ringgold, Georgia. We’re in the suburbs of Chattanooga. So, we’ve seen the heat and humidity, but I guess you would put it a little different in Texas.

03:18 Yes.

03:19 How would you describe the heat in Texas? San Antonio certainly sees it.

03:23 San Antonio is normally a drier type heat. It gets 103, 104, 105, but normally it stays around. Normally I’d say 100 to 101 is going to be about the high with a few days maybe 103 104.

03:41 And how do you deal with that? How do you bear that kind of heat?

03:44 Well, I grew up in Texas and I’m just used to it and it’s kind of like, okay, we’re going from we go from winter to spring. It’s starting to warm up every day and by the time summer gets here, hey, we’re kind of getting pretty used to it and we just grin and bearing I guess is what you want to say.

04:06 I guess you just deal with it. You have to.

04:08 Yes, sir.

04:09 What’s it like for you as a driver coming from a climate where you’re acclimated to the heat, but every given day you can go to a different type climate. And I think you said you went to Kansas City. I’m sure it was considerably cooler there.

04:24 Yes. When I got to Kansas City Tuesday afternoon, the wind was blowing and it was about 30. It get dropped to about 37 38 degrees and I got there about 3:00 in the afternoon and that morning it been 71. It dropped that, you know, dropped that quick. Basically from about the about first of November I start packing extra clothes, heavier clothes every week till about the first of May and then I start carrying fewer clothes and then the summer I just carry a little light jacket in case I need it for some just some same reason you might need it g or something and then just do it according to the seasons.

05:13 Gotcha. Take us inside the go bag of Howal B Ferris when you’re getting ready to go on the road here. Let’s talk about it in December. You talked about the winter clothes. What’s in your go bag? What I carry is I carry a real he I carry a real heavy coat going back up north and then I layer up. I wear a lot of wind shirts under like a t-shirt which are wind breakers underneath a regular shirt. And I wear maybe and I take a little warm-up sweater with a hoodie, heavy toboggin, heavy socks. I wear leggings underneath my blue jeans when I’m on decking that would go down to about zero degrees and just that that just prepare for being cold. Prepare for cold weather the best I can. You know, talking about doing the decking side of it because when you’re un when you’re undecking those trucks and the saddles, I would imagine your hands probably get the coldest.

06:13 Yes. I carry I use mechanics gloves and what I’ll do is I’ll keep a couple three pairs because once those gloves get cold, they’re hard to warm up that your hands get cold. So, I keep about two packs a pair on the heater around the heater of the truck. When my hands start getting cold, I’ll just switch pair switch gloves out.

06:34 So, you keep a pair warm as you’re waiting.

06:38 I keep a couple pair warm as I’m working. Yes.

06:41 I got you. Gotcha. Do you ever use hand warmers? Those hand warmers that you put inside the gloves.

06:46 I never have. I’ve seen them. I just never have done it. I don’t know why. Just I don’t know why. I just never did do it.

06:53 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, as a driver, which do you prefer as far as temperature- wise, seasonwise, is the best time to drive and the worst time to drive?

07:04 What I do is people down here in the south ask me all the time about the conditions on the road. I pretty much watch before I take or where I’m going. If I need to hold up here at the house or somewhere for a day, I will put pick up the load, hold it here. I’ve got a safe area where I can hold it in my house or when I get on the road. I plan an extra day on every note. I plan one extra day and for just something could happen, break down anything.

07:37 Mhm.

07:37 And that’s weather, whatever. People ask me all the time about icy roads. I tell them they take better care of the roads up east than they know how to do it. They put the brine solution down early in the year and they maintain them very well. Now they will get caught by surprise and every once in a while. And normally what I’ll do is I just wait till about 10:00 in the morning. Let them start clean getting the roads cleaned up, rush yard out of the way, whatever, and then take off.

08:09 Gotcha.

08:10 And then a lot of and I like to get up early there in the morning and run a lot. Just depends on how the what the weather conditions are like—

08:18 Right? Absolutely. I mean, those are things you can’t control, but you talked about one measure that you do employ as far as a controlling measure. You build in that extra day. How much does that help you as far as preparation, ease of mind, ability to execute the task at hand? Well, by doing that, you’re not rushed on-time delivery, time constraints, or whatever. And my dispatcher knows me well enough and I’ve had say I’ve had two or three that work with me a long time in Norton and they pretty well know me. When I tell them I’m going to pick up at 9:00 in the morning, it’s going to get picked up. And I tell them, give me an extra day in there just for whatever could happen. You’re not crowded for time. You can back up and like if a storm blows, back up and hold back up in front. You can plan and the better plan you have when you leave, the better things are going to go.

09:22 You know, I’ve got a good friend who’s retired military and he tells me this story. He was a commander in the military and he said he was asking some people that were underneath him in the rank and file and he said tell me your plan and they said well I hope and he said stop if the first two words out of your mouth are I hope you don’t have a plan which speaks a lot to what you were just talking about—

09:50 Since you mentioned that that makes a lot that makes perfectly good sense I hope means you’re going on a wing and a prayer— And that doesn’t work in decking.

10:00 It does not work in trucking or anything.

10:03 Now, we were talking about the winter weather, planning for it, setting a day aside, you know, taking time off if you need to, laying back, putting the truck at home or parking in a hotel and waiting for the winters to pass. Have you ever had any situations where you were driving, we’ll say, with a full deck load, four back or three back, four total, including the horse. Have you ever had any situations where things got a little squirrely?

10:31 Yes, I have. In Colorado, Kansas, through the Midwest, the wind can come up quick, unexpectedly, and that is when that wind comes up unexpectedly like that. Go ahead and shut the trucks down because you can blow into somebody, you can blow over, whatever. I’ve seen trucks blow over in that area and ahead of me or whatever and sitting still. I’ve seen them blown over. So when that happens, they get wind advisories. If you don’t feel safe with it, don’t do it.

11:06 Now you were talking about you’ve seen trucks blown over. Are we talking about single units or deck units?

11:13 Well, we’re talking about single units, deck units, any kind of truck.

11:17 You know, you really spoke something very wise. We’re listening to Hal B. Faris here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. You said if you don’t feel safe, don’t do it. Kind of underscore that for us a little bit about the importance of that as far as risk management as a driver.

11:35 Well, that goes I think that goes home with experience. I’ve had a CDL since 1982 when I was 18 years old.

11:44 Oh my goodness.

11:45 I’ve owned trucks. I’ve owned a trucking company. I’ve been I’ve done logistics. I’ve been a shipper. I’ve done it all. And I did a heavy I started a heavy haul trucking company of my own year and specializ trucking company in the 98. And I ran it for I had it for 11 years. And the more experience you get, you know, hey, this is not safe. I’m not doing it. And you weren’t you pay attention to what’s around you. And if a truck is blow is turned over on his side and the wind’s blowing, hey, that’s a good sign. I think I might better pull over or how the field or how a truck feels going down the road. You can feel the wind pushing it to the side, whatever. You just learn that stuff. I mean, it’s you learn it by experience.

12:35 Sure. I mean, you’ve got 40 years in the business. That’s a big teacher.

12:39 Thank you.

12:40 Absolutely. 40 years in the business is something to be proud of. And I’m sure you’ve seen it all. And talking about when you’re pulling, do you usually pull a three or four? I mean, pull three or two.

12:52 I pull either three or two. I do a four four-way or three-way. It really is six and one, half dozen the other.

12:59 I gotcha. Talk about the wind when you’re pulling. Let’s say you’re pulling three. What does it feel like from the cab when that wind’s whipping up and affecting those other units?

13:14 Well, it’s pulling and whipping you and it’s like being in a boat—

13:22 Not in the middle of the ocean if you really want. That’s why I, you know, would say what it’s like. And the thing is I just getting blown over would be the minor part of it. You don’t want that to happen. And my worst fear is the first thing I think of is I don’t want to get blown into another car or another truck. So that and the other car and other truck is my first priority. Not had let it happen and just come over for how long it takes and then but when the wind dies or the DOT releases you then go.

14:01 Gotcha. Gotcha. What’s the worst situation you’ve been in? You were talking about Kansas out there in the Midwest where the wind does sweep across the prairies and that kind of thing. Have you had some close calls with the wind where you were like, I need to pull over, but there’s not a good place to pull over just yet.

14:22 Yes, there was. I was in I undecked in Colorado Springs back in back this year in early spring and wind got up when I was undecking and I was going to was Denver and I started on and I thought man I wish I’d just got me a motel and I got up and I thought next exit I get to I get back to a motel or what closest motel I’m going I got up to the scales and they were shutting truck they were saying shutting trucks down and— That’s coach Utah came so far. And then I went on and then there that afternoon late the wind died down and I went on to Denver and undecked and when I was there undecking we’re talking to the dealer and he said, “Yeah, we Rex is right now bringing in wreck trucks the body shop right and left.”

15:12 Now that was this past spring. I guess you spent some quality time with Hal B Ferris in the truck at that moment. Yes, probably about 3 or four hours.

15:23 And you know, you guys spend a lot of time in the truck, usually rolling, but when you run into situations like that, and there’s nothing you can do. It’s out of your control. How do you pass the time?

15:34 Well, I’ve got I car I read I’ve got a book I carry with me and also look at the internet on the iPhone. Just things like that.

15:43 I got you. What are you reading these days? Oh, I just about anything I can get a hold of and I watch a lot of YouTube videos on how to fix something mechanically. Get information like that on subjects I’m interested in.

15:58 That’s important for you to stay up on par on the different topics.

16:04 Yes.

16:04 Okay. Now, you were talking about at the beginning of our conversation and you’re listening here to Hal B. Faris on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. You said you don’t drive on the holidays. I guess that’s important to you to spend time with a family.

16:20 Yes, it is. And then plus traffic increases. Families are out more out having fun. They’re together in a car and they get the best and everything and the driver gets distracted, whatever. They let their guard down on paying attention what’s around them. And it’s just best to if you can just not get on the road with the truck.

16:45 I gotta I got you.

16:46 And then two, if you break down, all the dealerships are closed for the holidays and it’s just if you can and don’t have not emergency type load. I just believe in shutting down and having family time.

16:59 I got you. Well, let’s talk a little bit about your family. Tell us a little bit about the family of Hal Faris. Well, I’m married. My wife and I have been married about 3 32 or three years. And we’ve got a daughter that’s 24. That is just our pride and joy. And she’s doing great in her career. And my wife’s a registered nurse. I’m very proud of my family. Just great, you know, great little family we have.

17:25 That’s fantastic. Does everybody live there in San Antonio? Your daughter, too?

17:30 No, my wife and I live in San Antonio. Our daughter, she went to college out of Snow State and my wife is from out there and I went to college there too. And anyway, my daughter, smaller town, my daughter loved it and she just found a job out there and just staying there.

17:47 That’s—

17:47 And then when my wife retired, we’ll move back out there, too.

17:51 I got you. I didn’t hear that part. Where is it you guys are moving to?

17:54 St. Angelo, Texas.

17:55 Oh, St. Angelo. Okay, I got you. I got you. You know, I wanted to kind of tap into the knowledge of you, Hal, because you’ve been in the business for 40 years and there may be a lot of drivers or potential drivers who listen to this podcast. And what would you say to them as far as pre-trip and post-trip inspection? What would you say for the from the driver’s standpoint is the most important thing about each of those inspections?

18:21 Both their inspections are equally important. And if you do a good post trip and you miss something, then your pre-trip, you might catch it the next morning. So both are very important to do. They prevent a lot of problems. And one thing that I do is every time and I stop about every 100 150 miles walk around just stretch to prevent blood clots keep limber and I’m looking for potential problems that’s happened to the trucks on the way I mean during that period and that’s a and doing driveaway piggybacks that is considered an open death which that is it is a do all to take and do a safety check every 150 miles or every 300 which come every 3 hours whichever comes first.

19:17 So you catch and then every time you stop you do one. Know that you catch a lot of your problems if you’ll look when you’re getting fuel, whether you don’t drive in or whatever. Even though you don’t have to a safety check with the drive in as you’re walking up to the truck and the fuel island or going in get fuel or whatever and walking around scratching on the side of the road, look around and you will catch a lot of prevent a lot of problems that can be preventable.

19:46 What kind of things do you look for?

19:48 I’m looking at my lights. Just anything that does that could got mo got loose. Check my bolts on the saddles. Just looking for any potential problem that could come up.

20:03 Do you check out the tires? Look at the tire tread where there might be something that’s in a position where it could blow out.

20:09 Yes. I look at tires. I look at just you don’t have I mean just look, you know, walk around the truck looking at everything, you know.

20:18 Yes.

20:18 Gotcha. Now, is that something you learned over the years before? I mean, I’m I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but when you were a younger driver, is that something you did as much of or is that something you developed over the years?

20:34 Well, it depends your pre-trip and postrip is mandatory and then every time you stop, just get out. I mean, it just comes from experience. Hey, all that I get, I guess I do pay more attention to what I used to when I was younger. Yes.

20:50 Now, 40 years in the business and I mean, you owned your own trucking company. You’ve obviously seen a lot of things, experienced a lot of things. What are some of the things that will always stick in your mind?

21:03 What’s going to stick in your mind? You see a bad accident and you don’t see and you know that there was fatality involved. You think about that every day for one thing. You think you learn to by watching other vehicles ahead of you. Hey, some they’re fixed. There’s a hazard that’s ahead when breaks are coming off. You just learn that stuff.

21:33 I’m sure in four decades you’ve seen some bad things.

21:37 Yes. And I can’t think of anything right off hand. You know that we’re talking about, you know, but yeah.

21:44 Oh, yeah. I’m sure you have there. That goes without question. What about— Let’s talk about on a little lighter note some of the beauty you have seen out on the open road. What comes to mind? What sticks in your mind as far as like, man, I never would have seen that if I hadn’t been taking this load.

22:01 I’ll never forget one morning I was coming through up through Oregon and there was no barn in a valley. It caught my eye and I just wished I thought I wish I’d got out and took a picture of it after I saw it. I mean, I’ve seen so much that you remember them and like one thing I saw in up in Oregon was a shepherd bringing sheep down off the mountain. Very pretty, you know, just and he was leaning over a horse watching things like that that I really noticed.

22:37 That’s too cool. I mean to see an actual shepherd bringing a herd down, that’s just something that you just don’t see very often—

22:45 Right? And that’s wide open country, big country up there. It was in the spring of the year and he was bringing them down in the valley to, you know, really good grass.

22:56 What kind of an impression did that make on you when you saw it?

23:00 I just thought it was just a really neat situation, you know, or neat. I mean, that’s American life there, you know, whatever. You know, something like that.

23:11 It’s just a slice of American life that a lot of people don’t get to see. And I said, I guess when you’re afforded that opportunity as a driver out on the road, does that say I mean, how does that impact you? It’s like, man, this is pretty cool.

23:26 You know, when it does that, you know, I mean, I tell my wife or something, I don’t know how to put it. It just something like that just sticks out in your mind forever—

23:37 For sure. I mean that’s something that you just don’t see and you got to be in the right place at the right time and you know that’s something you were able to experience and is that something that you shared with other people say you know check out what I saw today.

23:52 Yes. Yes. Have shared that that that experience with other people and again you go about 50 miles an hour and you think man that’s neat and again you I wish and you drive another 100 yards you miss a picture I wished I could have stopped and took I wished I would have stopped and took a picture you know—

24:11 Well that picture is always going to be in your mind because how long ago was that—

24:15 Right that was back my gosh seven 8 n years ago probably—

24:21 And it sounds like you still remember it like it was yesterday.

24:25 Yeah.

24:25 Gotcha. What about of all the roads you’ve traveled, all the highways you’ve been on, what’s the most boring stretch that you’ve been on?

24:34 New Mexico.

24:36 Okay.

24:37 New Mexico, Arizona into and into California. I do not like to go west because it’s just it’s desert. It’s just boring.

24:48 Right. The scenery doesn’t change that much.

24:51 That’s right. Gotcha. I got to tap into a little bit more of your experience here. You’re listening to how Ferris here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. 40 years in the business. How have you seen it evolve from when you started back when you were 18 years old until here in 2022? Well, the laws have gotten stricter when I first started everything. I mean, this is 40 years ago. Things trucking had just got it had just gotten deregulated. It was not really good at the time. It went through a period of about 10, 11 years where it was just horrible. The drivers, there was a lot of drug issues, a lot of things like that. And of course, everything’s gotten better. They’ve done drug testing.

25:53 They put the drugs are, I think, are pretty well off the road now, maybe. I hope.

25:58 The equipment’s got has gotten better just like automobiles, everything else. We everything has gotten is getting better with it. Equipment standards, the standards in the industry are getting have improved a whole lot. I wanted to kind of dig down in a little bit about what you’re talking about there as far as the drug use back in the day and I guess in the late 60s and the early 70s and into the 80s there was kind of this impression about drivers you know that were running all day all night and the drugs they were using I guess dipping back 40 years ago into the early 80s when you were into it. Is that something that was still kind of a real thing? No, it’s gotten where it’s pretty well a thing of the past. The random drug tests are taking a lot of it away. They the random drug test has pulled and the restrictions it’s pulled the bad drivers off pretty well predominantly off the road.

27:01 Now to be on the road, you got to be clean. You’ve got to keep your driving record. It’s just a lot of everything is a positive right now on that.

27:10 Gotcha. How much does that mean to you? I mean to see where it came from to where it is now and specifically about the impression in the public that a truck driver makes from what it used to be and to what it is now.

27:27 Well, again, it’s cleaned up a lot. I’m one that believes in presenting neat and clean. The better image I present to myself in front of the shepherds on the phone, whatever, the better it works for me. They the shepherds more out to help you. I mean, who you’re delivering to, they’re more everything just people are friendlier. It works a lot better. It just to me everything it’s just a lot better than it used to be.

28:01 Gotcha. So, it’s important to you to show that kind of professionalism on all fronts.

28:08 That is correct. Yes.

28:09 Gotcha. Now, let’s see. Not to get too personal, but how young are you, Mr. Ferris?

28:16 I’m 58.

28:17 58.

28:18 Yes, sir.

28:19 How long do you see yourself behind the wheel?

28:22 I don’t know. I don’t have any health issues at all.

28:24 I don’t know. I mean, I might not go up another undecking five, six years undecking. You know, I you never can tell, you know. Right now, I don’t have any intentions of really just slowing down a lot. I do a motor week now. I mean, then I’ll do a single coup on, you know, if I get somewhere and there’s a single right there. Hey, and it’s going to back into Dallas, Texas or San Antonio. Be better do it because that’s just money for the taking. I know the calls by airlines and what who flies where pretty much is well travel agent. So if I can do a single coming back five 600 miles and do it because it’s just money for it’s just it’s there. It made sense to do it.

29:16 Yeah. That’s kind of a no-brainer if you’re dropping somewhere and you got a single within, you know, a 50 60 mile radius and instead of paying to get back, you can make money coming back.

29:28 Well, that can air flare paid. So, it really is just as long as you keep that air right there what it cost where you drop it off at, you’re ahead by doing that.

29:43 Oh, sure. Absolutely. Because I’m I mean because I’m at the age where I don’t want to undeck but about a load a week. You got to undeck in two loads a week like some of these drivers are trying to do. It’s going to get to where it’s going to catch up with them quick.

30:01 Mhm.

30:03 Cause physical.

30:04 Yeah. Let’s talk about that. I mean a lot of people not familiar with decking and undecking. There is a lot of physical strain that’s involved in it. How do you tackle, let’s say you’ve got your horse and three behind you, how do you approach that psychologically and physically?

30:23 Well, when I get there, I walk around the trucks and I call the dealer ahead of time and I find out what kind of try to find out what kind of decking facility they’ve got if I have never been there.

30:38 Mhm. And find out the forest they have, if I need a record, what I need. I go into that way with a plan. And then when I get there, I walk around and look and at the trucks. Okay, I’m going to do axles first. Get and my belief in getting axles and be able to get power to the ground. Have the power to the ground when I get the truck off the other truck onto the ground. I want that power on it when they when the front tires hit the ground.

31:15 Mhm.

31:16 And I do rear truck I mean number three or four position to two or three position like that. I never undock number two position first.

31:28 Right. Yeah. I mean, that makes perfect sense to do it that way.

31:32 And because you go to doing like say position two and getting used to it, the frames are longer on trucks and stuff like that. It’s easy to get a truck get a frame up into a truck and into the depth system, whatever. So, it’s best to do number four the last truck first and go forward.

31:54 Mhm. I hear you, man. I hear you, brother. Talk about the saddles themselves. We’ve talked to a number of drivers here, deck drivers on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. And I wanted to talk to you about the actual saddles that takes quite a bit of strength and skill.

32:13 Yes.

32:14 How do you manhandle it?

32:15 All right. The way I handle saddles is I try to do as less manhandling them as I can.

32:23 Right. If there’s a forklift available or a hoist, take the extra time and get them to the ground with mechanical equipment, hoist, water or forklift and then you can pick them up and dog walk them or drag them easy and get as close to where they need to be stored as you can.

32:45 Mhm. And I tell drivers, new drivers especially, if they see a saddle is going to fall into a truck, do not try to catch it.

32:56 Let it go. If it breaks on off, hey, they can be replaced. You got a hernia or something or full muscle. You’re hard made up for life or whatever. That’s not worth it. Let the saddle go. Let it fall through the frame, whatever. Don’t try to catch it.

33:16 Yeah, they’re they are what? I mean, the saddles go what two 300 pounds.

33:21 I think I don’t know. I’m thinking about 100 to 100, but I just I know one thing. Respect those s.

33:31 Sure. No truer word spoken there from Hal B. Faris here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. How, you know, I’m sure that in the 40 years you’ve been in the business, it hasn’t all been decking. I’m sure you did a lot of work on the single side.

33:48 I’ve done quite a few singles. Yes.

33:51 How do the two compare, singles and decking?

33:54 Singles is connect the dots game. You want to pick one up, say a single in San Antonio, as close to where you’re at as you can. Say Dallas, you need to work with about two or three, maybe four companies, whatever you’re comfortable with and okay, Norton is company A and get you a primary company to work for. Then you got the others that you know, how or whatever. This gets my theory. And then you want to look, okay, I’m going to Chicago and look at all the company and see what they got in Chicago. And they’re going to have Chicago a lot there’ll be loads in Chicago then look and plan okay I can go down to Kansas City from Chicago and do it and then when you get Chicago get your Kansas City or whatever more pre-planning you do and if you can book ahead of time do it and try to go into good areas and the best thing to do with singles is have a toe car.

35:07 Yeah. Tow behind.

35:09 Yes.

35:10 Gotcha. Now, let’s kind of talk about, you know, you were talking about time with family and relaxing when you’re not running. Now, what kind of things do you do in your downtime to relax? What relaxes Hal Faris?

35:26 Well, my wife and I both grew up farming in agriculture, farming in ranching.

35:30 Mhm. And we both we’ve got my wife’s got one a place where she’s from. I got a place I grew up on and we do we go out to go the country and do our farming and ranching that sort of stuff.

35:42 Gotcha. What kind of do you grow in crops?

35:45 We raise sheep primarily right now and we’re going to start doing more farming here when we kind of retire.

35:52 Okay. You said you raise sheep.

35:55 Yes.

35:56 Tell us a little bit about that. I mean, a lot of people may not know a lot of the intricacies of raising sheep. How did you get into that?

36:04 Well, I grew up I mean, we both grew up with and around livestock and stuff all life. And we found a sheep that is a hair sheep. It’s meat sheep what it is. They have hair. They don’t have wool. So, we don’t have to shear them. And for my wife and I, we like sheep better with cattle. We can do the work ourselves—

36:27 And not have to hire any extra help and they don’t require the maintenance that cattle do or hogs.

36:34 I gotta—

36:35 And we run that’s and we enjoy it because we can get out and do a sheep together by ourselves. It’s something we can do together.

36:42 Gotcha. Is there money to be made in that?

36:45 Yes, we do. Yes, we make some money out of it. Yes.

36:48 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, is that something that you look forward to in your retirement once you get the once you put the keys up, hang the keys up?

36:56 Yes, but I don’t know if I’ll ever retire from trucking because I don’t have enough to do every day in my agriculture. So, I may not find a little job driving for a feed company or something like that, you know, couple days a week. I’m guessing from talking with Hal Faris here on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport, you’re a gentleman that likes to stay busy.

37:20 Yeah.

37:21 Is that something that’s always been in your personality?

37:24 Yes.

37:25 Gotcha. Now, being a Texas guy, are you a sports guy?

37:29 I like baseball. I’m not a fanatic on it. I just watch a baseball game or, you know, when I turn TV on, it doesn’t matter who’s playing really. And I like rodeo and I like horse racing.

37:41 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, are you a Rangers fan or is there a team that that pulls your heart there?

37:48 I really don’t have a favorite team even though I was I really like really enjoyed seeing the Astros win the World Series the other day.

37:56 Yeah. Yeah, that was nice. They did well in that there. Now, I wanted to talk to you about a rodeo there because obviously coming back or coming from a livestock background, that’s got to be something that’s rewarding to watch the rodeo and obviously that’s something that’s pretty big in Texas.

38:14 Yes. Well, you know, it’s just something I mean, I enjoy the calf roping, stair roping. I’ve got my those are my two favorite events and then barrel racing. I love to watch the horse run. Basically, that’s you know, that’s what I enjoy about the rodeo.

38:29 Gotcha. Got you. Now, I wanted to ask you this question. 40 years in the business and being out on the road so much, what kind of things do you do on the road to keep your mind occupied and to keep yourself satisfied on the road? What do you do as far as keeping your mind clear when you’re out on these long runs?

38:52 Well, normally I like to run about 10 hours a day driving.

38:57 Mhm. 9 10 if I start feeling tired of bully I just quit for the day and start earlier the next morning whatever basically I listen a lot I listen to radio I listen to Fox News talk shows some podcast I’ll turn my phone on YouTube and listen to how to fix something or whatever something like that and just basically that’s all you can do driving and then at night I’d get the road I always go eat one good meal in the day. So I do that at night or first thing in the morning. I’ll talk to someone in the eating breakfast or something like that or at night I’ll go somewhere to eat and I’ll sit at the bar and you get to visit people like that. I enjoy meeting strangers and start talking to them.

39:47 Sure. I mean I’m sure you’ve met a lot of people out on the road.

39:51 Yes, I have.

39:52 Now when you were talking about you like to get one good meal a day. Is that breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Which one? Or does it matter? Or it depends on where you are in the day?

40:02 It kind of depends on where I’m at, what time I’m going to shut down or whatever. I like to get up and eat I’ll eat a good breakfast. And if I don’t do that, I’ll snack during the day and then get go somewhere, get a yuber and go somewhere at night and eat. I don’t eat in the truck stop because there’s not any good truck stops left to eat at. It’s all fast food and it c and it fast food cost you just as much to go to outback state. I mean to grow anywhere like that and get a good meal.

40:37 Gotcha. Now tell us about the meal that sticks out in your mind. Not one in particular, but one, well, actually one in particular that really sticks out. Said, “Man, that was the best steak I’ve had in a long time. That was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time.” Give us an idea of where that was and when it was.

41:00 Every time I go through, Kansas, for instance, I stopped at Russell’s Meat. It’s an old mom and pop restaurant. They have homemade pies, just good food that sticks out. And the rest of it is just anymore is just chain restaurants like Texas Roadhouse. I eat like those for supper. Mogens. Then of the morning I’ll do Waffle House, Denny’s and the Cracker Barrel.

41:24 Gotcha.

41:24 And at lunch if stop if I stop eat somewhere, I’ll eat like a hamburger. Ron’s hamburgers up through the Midwest is really good. They’ve got a they started out as a dairy and they’ve got kind of convenience stores tender ice cream and making hamburgers and stuff like that. So I stop at those.

41:44 Now that place you mentioned right off the top there in Kansas Russell, I think it was what you said there. What did you have there? And is it something that you have all the time when you come through there?

41:55 No, I change it up. I stopped in there the day before yesterday and I had a club sandwich. The time before that I had chicken liveries. All you can eat chicken liveries. And they’ve got a good salad bar. So you— And they’ve got a good menu selection. How important is that for you on the open road? I mean, you kind of talked to it about the truck stops not having the food they used to have, but finding a place that’s got a good meal, good hot meal. When you’re out there logging, you know, four or 500 miles a day—

42:27 You just kind of know where you’re at. You go so much, you pretty well know where you’re going to stomp at. And the time of the day I leave somewhere, where I’m going to be at that night, that day, I you kind of know where you kind of develop a good place or a good place to stop and eat or stop for the night. You know where you’re going to kind of pretty well be.

42:48 It’s kind of like what you were talking about earlier. It’s the plan. I guess you kind of plan your day around the meal. It’s like, you know, I’m going to be in such and such place at such and such time. I think I’m going to be eating at this place.

43:03 You pretty well, you pretty well know where you’re going to be. And something I’ve gotten where I don’t like to do is pick is if I’m going to get out of the yard, the terminal somewhere in Von Army or whatever, say by 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning, go get my trucks, come home the rest of the day, and then leave the next morning early. You know, when I leave San Antonio in the morning, okay, I’m going to be somewhere around between Patrick County, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas when I shut down tonight. I know the restaurants around my motel where I’m going to stay at. I know the motel where I’m going to be at. So, I call ahead, make my reservation, and then the next night, I know, okay, I’m leaving there and I’m going to be up. I’m going to stay and I’m going to stay 75 to 100 miles out of if I’m going to Chicago out of Chicago the next night.

44:00 Mhm.

44:01 And I know the area I’m going to stay at, where I’m going to stay, the restaurant around it. You just learn that stuff and I kind of plan I plan my trip around.

44:12 You’re kind of like a walking road map. I mean, all the places to stop, places to go.

44:19 Yeah. And I don’t like to stay in the cities because that’s where tire theft and theft on these thugs happens. I stay out picky miles in the cities at least and in park in well known areas where I know other areas and just do it. But I’m not saying that that won’t happen but I never have any problem with it.

44:43 Is that a habit that you’ve developed because of your four decades of experience? Yeah.

44:50 Gotcha. Now, what as we kind of wind down here with Hal Faris, how be Faris brought to you by Norton Transport here on the Six-Figure Trucker. How what would you say to people who may be listening to this podcast and they’re thinking about moving into driveaway trucking? Let’s kind of first address that question on the single side, which is where almost all of the guys start and the men and women start and then maybe move over to the decking side. What would your advice be first to the people who are thinking about going into singles driving?

45:26 Well, I think everybody needs runs for singles to start with. They get a feel for it. They get a feel for what’s expected of them. They get they learn how to deal with the dealers, shippers, they learn that. Then as they start getting comfort with that, then Norton or whoever they’re starting with is starting to learn their habits. They’re learn they’re learning each other’s habits. Okay. Then they do some mile a few mile IO some miles with them and trips and then Norton said, “Hey, this guy does a good job.” And he’s showed the interest in moving into decking, getting him lined up with the trailer and getting a good proper trailer that can fit and then, you know, and then let them go with it from there.

46:18 Gotcha. Gotcha. What has it been to you as far as on the not asking you what you’ve brought home on your tax return, but how has it been for you as far as quality of life on the decking side?

46:32 Well, it does not matter what I’m doing driving. I’m going to do I know exactly where I’m going to be. I’m I mean I know what it takes me a year and live and I know what it takes me to feed my you know take care of my family or whatever and also know how much time I’m going to set aside that I’m not going to be driving the truck.

46:58 How much does that kind of freedom mean to you to have that freedom of schedule?

47:03 I love it. I can go to work somewhere in town, an office or whatever, and they want you there five days a week. Well, you’re there five days a week. What I can go can I can plan my schedule. If I want to leave on Monday morning and I want to get home on Thursday, I can pretty well do it every week. Mhm.

47:25 Or if I want to back up and say there’s a holiday Thanksgiving, back up and work the weekend of Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and fly home Tuesday, miss a holiday rush in the airport, the whole nine yards. I’ve got all that flexibility. And once you get used to it, and you know how and it’s not for everybody, and you know how to handle all that, it works very well. I wouldn’t trade it. I wouldn’t trade the freedom for nothing.

47:55 Well, you know, that’s a good place to wrap it up right there. You wouldn’t trade the freedom for anything. And that is some very wise words spoken to you from Hal B. Faris out of San Antonio, Texas. And Hal, I got to tell you, here from Norton Transport, we’re lucky to have you. We feel very fortunate to have you as one of our drivers. And I did want to before we sign off here, talk a little bit about one of your favorite dispatchers. I believe it’s Leela. Is that right?

48:25 I tell you, I’ve had three dispatchers since I’ve been with Norton. I’ve had Carly Campbell who was great. She’s now in recruiting.

48:34 Mhm.

48:35 She was very great. Very good. And then I went to J. They gave me Jessica Albert. Jessica was very, very good also. And Lima Titus, the same thing. I have nothing on all I mean for all three of them except the high regard.

48:52 Well, I’m sure they would say the same about you. I knew you were with Leela. Did not know you were with Jessica and Carly, but we love them all here and we certainly respect and are honored to have you working with us here at Norton Transport. And we wish you very well and we probably won’t be able to talk to you at least publicly again before the Christmas holidays. I’m glad you had a great Thanksgiving and we wish you the best for the Christmas season coming up.

49:19 And we I wish you and Norton and everybody at Norton the same thing.

49:23 All right, Hal, thank you very much. How Ferris on the Six-Figure Trucker brought to you by Norton Transport. Hal, I know you got a road a load coming up next week, so be safe out there.

49:33 Okay. I really appreciate your time was plenty good.

49:36 All right. All right. Have a good time.

49:37 Okay. You too.

49:46 Six-Figure Trucker is brought to you by Norton Transport. Norton Transport is a driveaway trucking company that customers can rely on. It offers excellent independent contract driving opportunities to professional, courteous, and qualified drivers that can provide the kind of service we deliver. If you’re interested in learning more about Norton or just want to subscribe to the show, check out Six-FigureTrucker.com. That’s Six-FigureTrucker.com.